The Study
Proponents of low fat diets and proponents of low carb diets have been battling it out for decades. This study wanted to find out which was better for risk of heart disease. Over 200,000 participants in Harvard’s Health Professional Follow-up Study, Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study 2 had their diet measured repeatedly and were followed for up to 32 years for incidence of coronary heart disease.
A scoring system was created for a healthy version of each diet (lean proteins, plant oils and unrefined grains) as well as an unhealthy version (fattier animal-based proteins, saturated fats and refined grains).
The results showed that when healthy foods were chosen, risk for heart disease decreased and when unhealthy foods were chosen, risk went up. In other words, the amount of carb or fat didn’t really matter, just the quality of the food that was consumed. A low carb diet could be protective or risky, as could a low fat diet.
doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2025.12.038
Take Home Message
Whatever diet you are following, focus on healthy carbs (fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes), healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, avocados) and healthy proteins (lean meats, seafood and lots of plant protein like beans and lentils).
This study shows that you really don’t need to get too caught up on the percentages of protein, fat and carbohydrate. Just make good choices.
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